Zakat

Outside of the Muslim community, zakat is a little heard term. However within the Muslim community, zakat forms a vital part of culture and religion.

So what is zakat?

Zakat is the third of the five pillars of faith. As a member of the Muslim faith you must carry out five duties.

They are;

A Muslim must have faith and confirm that ‘There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his Prophet.’

Muslims must fast during the month of Ramadan.

Five times a day a Muslim must engage in prayer facing towards Mecca.

When physically and financially able a Muslim must make a pilgrimage to Mecca. If able, this has to be taken at least one in a Muslims lifetime.

Each Muslim must pay zakat, in the form of a charitable donation.

Zakat is a tax; every Muslim must pay a 2.5% zakat on their savings. It is given to those less able, new Muslims, charity funds, and anyone who is deemed as being ‘poor or helpless’.

How to pay zakat.

There are thousands of charities to choose from when deciding where to pay your zakat. However, Just Giving has made it remarkably simple to actually complete the process. You can use one of the numerous online calculators to work out how much zakat you are obliged to pay, and then head over to the site to choose one of the charities to support.

Benefits of using Just Giving to pay Zakat

If you use Just Giving to pay your Zakat you have the benefit of being able to choose from over 8,000 charities and projects.

Donating through the site is simple, easy and remarkably painless; just have your payment details to hand.

Just Giving reclaim 25% gift aid back from the HMRC, so your zakat contribution goes even further.

If you want to keep your donation private, Just Giving makes it easy to hide your details. You can make your zakat contribution anonymously.